There are many different opinions when it comes to sterling silver.
It's too expensive. It's not high quality enough. It's not "pure". Are just to list a few that may be circulating out there.
I believe sterling silver is a great metal choice for jewelry and will explain 4 reasons why in this blog post. Maybe it will change your thoughts on it.
Reason #1 - Cost
Out of the precious metals available, sterling silver is the most affordable opinion. Compared to platinum and gold it's A LOT cheaper. Why? Well, there are a lot of things to consider when pricing metals - their properties and their availability are probably the most important. Gold and platinum are simply more scarce so that automatically hikes their price up.
Reason #2 - Durability
As a designer and maker, I want to use materials that are strong and going to last. However they need to be malleable enough to work with. Pure silver is very soft and not ideal for jewelry because it just wont withstand the wear and tear. So it was mixed with another metal, typically copper, to make it stronger. When this started happening, is still unclear, but historical artifacts suggest it was done as far back as the 11th century! Sterling silver isn't going anywhere. If you take care of it, like you would your car, house or health, its going to last a lifetime. Maybe several lifetimes!
Reason #3 - Hypoallergenic
If your skin changes color, becomes itchy or red, even swells or blisters when you wear certain jewelry, it means your having an allergic reaction to the metal. Most likely. Inexpensive metals, typically base metals such as brass or nickle can cause those reactions. And the more you're exposed to it, the more likely you are to develop an allergy to it. I use to use brass in my jewelry making, but have since stopped. I still use it to make samples out of or to practice on because metal smithing can be quite expensive and you really don't want to waste precious materials. If you mess up on brass, it's not a big deal.
Reason #4 - Timeless
Like I mentioned before, people have been using sterling silver since at least the 11th century. You probably have several pieces of it in your jewelry box. And a few may have heirlooms passed down from their mothers or grandmothers. You can wear the same piece your bought 20, 30 even 40 years ago. You can wear pieces that are 100+ years old and it doesn't matter. Sterling silver transcends time so you don't have to worry about it going out of fashion anytime soon!
I've love to hear your thoughts on sterling silver.
How many pieces do you have in your jewelry box?
Any heirlooms made from sterling silver that you wear to this day?
Do you have any questions about it? Or any ideas on blog post related to it that you'd like to read?
Email me directly at info@hammerandheartheirlooms.com or leave a comment below!
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-Katie
Owner, Designer, Maker
Hammer & Heart Heirlooms